Woman Rescued From Fire

Deputy Enters Burning House

DANIA — As smoke filled her lungs, Mary Frost did the only thing she could: cough.

That may have saved her life.

At that moment, Broward Sheriff's Deputy Ken Bove, was walking away from the burning house. He didn't think anyone was inside.

"It was real lucky that I heard that," said Bove, 31, a seven-year veteran with the Sheriff's Office.

Bove kicked down the door and pulled Frost, 78, to safety about 6 a.m. Sunday.

Firefighters and Frost's daughter, Clare, called Bove a hero, crediting him with saving the woman's life.

"If it weren't for his quick thinking, she'd probably be in a lot worse shape than she is," Fire Battalion Chief Michael Cissano said.

"I thank my stars that he was at the right place at the right time," said Clare Frost. "My mother couldn't remember anything but the name of the deputy who saved her life."

The elder Frost, who has an amputated leg and is bedridden, was treated for smoke inhalation at Memorial Hospital in Hollywood. She also suffered minor burns on one arm.

She was alone in the house during the fire.

Her wooden three-bedroom, one-bath house at 218 SW First Ave., near Mullikin Park, was destroyed.

Firefighters said the fire started when Frost apparently fell asleep with a lighted cigarette in her hand. She managed to crawl to within 3 feet of the front door but could not get out.

Luckily, Bove, who had 20 minutes left on his shift, was sitting in a parking lot about two blocks away watching traffic.

He smelled smoke and decided to sniff out the source. He drove around and saw smoke billowing from Frost's house, which was built in the 1920s. Frost had lived there since 1964, her daughter said.

Bove radioed for help and approached the house. He looked inside and saw an orange glow, but no flames. He banged his flashlight on the side of the house and yelled to see if anyone was inside.

No answer.

He knocked on the front door and yelled again.

No answer.

The smoke started getting thicker. Bove, figuring no one was inside, started to walk off the porch. That's when he heard the cough.

"It wasn't a lot of coughs, just a little cough," Bove said.

He kicked down the door and found the 90-pound Frost lying in her pajamas on the floor. She was conscious.

"I stepped in the house and I could feel this intense heat. Then I saw the flames to my left," he said. "I dragged her to the door, picked her up and carried her across the street."

Clare Frost said her mother, who uses a wheelchair, isn't likely to give up cigarettes even after the fire.

"She's been smoking for 65 years," she said. "I don't think this will stop her."

Clare Frost, who grew up in the house, said her family members are among the original Dania settlers.

She said her mother, who worked as a secretary at the Broward Sheriff's Office in the 1950s and then at the county Health Department, will stay with relatives for a while.

"She's always been so independent and loved having her own place," Clare Frost said. "There are a lot of memories in that house, but I don't care about that. I'm just grateful that she's OK. This is a miracle."